The word fetish However, do you know what this term really means? Then, check out our post!

What is a fetish?

According to the online dictionary Dicio, the word fetish For example, a person may have a fetish for licking their partner's feet or wearing specific outfits.

Moreover, this body part or some object has no connection with sex, so it provokes much more excitement than the act itself. In short, the person puts more power into a certain object or body part, which ends up serving as worship. Ultimately, the person ends up being influenced by the object.

Learn about the most common fetishes

• voyeurism: the person gets pleasure from watching other people having sex;
• transvestite: the subject is attracted to wearing clothes of the opposite sex;
• odaxelagnia: difficult word, but the person feels more pleasure in biting at the time of sex;
• Sex in public: people feel more pleasure when they perform sexual acts in a public environment;
• sex tape: subjects like to have sex when they are being recorded;
• Submission and domination: already in these situations, people feel more pleasure from the fact that a game of submission and domination is going on;
• use of fantasies: finally, this fetish is about using fantasy to perform sexual acts.

Fetish in psychology

Now that we know what a fetish means, let's understand this term in psychology. In this sense, Sigmund Freud interprets fetish as a peculiarity of a certain object or parts of the bodies chosen by the person to be fetishized In fact, the psychoanalyst explains that such objects serve as phallic substitutes.

To better exemplify about the fetish, Freud illustrates a situation in his text "Fetishism", from 1927. When a boy discovers that his mother does not have a penis (what he calls "castration of the mother"), he tries to repress this discovery.

In this situation, the choice of fetish object will therefore be the first thing the boy saw after this discovery: something not similar to the penis. Therefore, the fetish is for some body object or some piece of clothing of the mother .

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Freud's theory focuses more on men, because for him fetishes are more common in men than in women. However, this doesn't mean that women don't have them, they just repress them more. After all, women have more difficulty in facing sex with less taboo. So the "perversion" is much more complicated.

Furthermore, Freud explains that this "adoration" for the object persists until adulthood, when the boy begins to relate sexually It is at this moment that the presence of such an object assures him that everything will be all right.

Is a fetish a sign of perversion?

Although fetishism is the subject of many studies in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and psychoanalysis, it was once considered a perversion. However, nowadays fetishism is seen as a sexual object exclusive to one person. That is, when a person is satisfied in contact with a fetish, not needing a sexual partner.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), fetishism is considered normal behavior. However, as long as this practice is used to enhance sexual arousal, in order to achieve it under normal conditions. For example, asking your spouse to wear a certain outfit as a preliminary to sexual acts.

However, the use of only the fetish can denote sexual immaturity. Besides being a sign that there has not been an elaboration of the Oedipus Complex The object means one's own phallus (penis-power) and one is only satisfied when one has it.

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To regress to the pre-fallic phases (oral and anal phases) favors the fantasy of continuing the intimacy with the mother. With this, the person can sometimes have sadistic aspects, for example, feeling pleasure in cutting women's hair and keeping it, as if he were castrating them and taking their phallus (penis-power) for himself.

Many times, the person doesn't feel like this is some kind of disorder and therefore doesn't seek help. After all, the person will always be immature, not only in the sexual aspect, but also in other aspects of life.

It is worth pointing out that the fetish becomes dangerous when it endangers the physical and emotional integrity of both the person and the partner. However, we reinforce that as long as this sexual practice is carried out between adults and with the consent of both parties, it is a great source of pleasure for those involved.

Are there treatments for the fetish?

Yes, when a person begins to realize that he/she cannot perform sexual activity without his/her fetish, a red alert goes on. You see, the fetish can function as a substitute for normal sexual activity or be part of it. The problem is when it becomes the only way to have a sexual relationship.

Thus, the need for the fetish can be so compulsive and intense that it consumes 100% of the person's life and can destroy him/her. However, most people who have a fetish do not have these characteristics of the disorder, since they do not have significant distress and the fetish does not interfere with the performance of their daily tasks.

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Then, should a person need to find specialized help, generally speaking, they will find standard treatment, which includes:

• medication with some type of antidepressant;
• psychotherapy with a psychologist, psychiatrist or sexologist.

Thus, the sexologist studies all areas of sex, such as anatomy, sexual orientation, and the dynamics of sexual relations. Because of this, he is an ideal professional for treatment. In addition, he uses psychotherapeutic techniques to identify myths and dysfunctional beliefs about sexuality .

Final considerations about fetish

As we can see fetish Although it is something normal and healthy, when it starts to get in the way physically and emotionally, it is time to seek help from a professional. That is why it is always important to be aware and seek knowledge.

In this way, we invite you to get to know our online course on clinical psychoanalysis With our classes, you will develop your self-knowledge and understand more about the areas you need to grow and reach your full potential.

Finally, we hope you enjoyed our post about the fetish Also, don't forget to learn more about our Psychoanalysis course and evolve more and more through knowledge. Don't miss this opportunity.